


birth right

by Significant_What



Series: i see fire [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Childhood Friends, E-mail, Friendship, Getting to Know Each Other, I JUST REALLY LIKE DRAGONS, M/M, Minor Character Death, Self-Indulgent, kind of, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22789300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Significant_What/pseuds/Significant_What
Summary: ”Hello, Sayua”, Yuuri had whispered to her, such a mix of nerves and excitement and wonder that he couldn’t have made his voice any louder if he had wanted to. ”I’m Yuuri. Katsuki Yuuri. My friends call me Yuu-kun.” The dragon had let out a small huff of breath, almost like an answer, urging Yuuri to go on. ”Will you be my friend?”
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri & Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: i see fire [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1371766
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	birth right

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back with the dragons!
> 
> This work is part of a series (that as of now has two works but whatever), and I would suggest you read the first one before continuing to this. It's not _entirely_ necessary, I guess, but it would help make sense of some things in this one. I think. I could just have become blind to my own works.
> 
> Anyway. You may notice that I have marked this story to have two chapters. However, I have no idea when the second chapter will be out, as I have barely even started it and, to be honest, I have been writing this first one on and off for the past three months. This AU is something I write to feel good, it's a very indulgent story, and I kind of use it to figure out how to write an AU so elaborate because yeah, I've never written about dragons or anything else fantastical or supernatural before. 
> 
> The dragons mentioned in this AU are pretty much my own creations. Some of the names can be connected to folklore from around the world, but I have taken _so many_ liberties with them that you probably wouldn't recognize the creatures if I described them.
> 
> Well, without further notes, please enjoy this story, and kudos and comments as well as subscriptions are very much appreciated!

Yuuri had learned from a young age what it means to be a part of the Katsuki clan. It had been pored into his brain from the day he turned six and he had been allowed to accompany his father into the sanctuary for the first time.

Just the night before, Yuuri had been reading one of his favourite books again; _The Incomplete History of Dragons in Japan_. Yuuri wasn’t that good at reading yet, being a smart kid but a little behind, but he loved looking at the colourful pictures and tracing his fingers on the gold lettering of the old names. The book was an old one, one that had been given to his mother as a gift on her sixteenth birthday, and Yuuri had many times been told to be careful with it.

”The binding is fragile”, _kaasan_ had usually said if she had caught Yuuri reading it somewhere other than at his desk. ”You need to be kind to books, and they will in return be kind to you.”

This is the same advice that Yuuri later learns applies to most things in life. _Be kind to them, and they will be kind to you_. His first lesson on how this applies on dragons came first thing in the morning, when _tousan_ woke him up before dawn and told him to put on some clothes and follow him, silent but quick.

Yuuri hadn’t known just yet where they are going, but there had been a smile in _tousan’s_ eyes that had made Yuuri excited. He had tripped over his own feet in his haste to follow, and _tousan_ had taken his hand in his own to steady him. They had entered the sanctuary hand in hand, and Yuuri still remembers holding his breath while stepping over the threshold, hoping that if this is just a dream that he would never wake up again.

It had not been a dream, but to Yuuri, six years old and first time allowed in, it had felt like a dream come true. He had, of course, seen pictures of different parts of the sanctuary, had seen views from windows in the three different houses they usually occupied throughout the year, and then there had been the dozens of different books he had read, showing pictures of the dragons themselves; older books with drawings and black and white photographs, and new editions with shining pictures so full of color that Yuuri had always found it difficult to look away.

But not one of his books could have prepared Yuuri for the beauty of the sanctuary seen through his own eyes. The part _tousan_ had taken him was the area furthest down South, on a small island close to the island of Taiwan, and Yuuri could smell the ocean and see it gleaming between the trees. The sun was just rising, painting everything in warm shades of red and orange and gold, and Yuuri remembers pinching his own cheek to make sure he wasn’t still dreaming.

 _Tousan_ had taken him deeper into the woods, further away from the house that Yuuri had ever even dreamed of going. They had found a stream and a small boat, and _tousan_ had helped Yuuri climb on before taking the rod and staring upstream. He hadn’t said anything, and Yuuri hadn’t dared make a sound, knowing from his books that some dragons could be easily startled by sudden noises. For a child of six years old, Yuuri had already had a vast knowledge on how you are to approach a dragon you are not familiar with, what signs to look for in case the creature is anxious or aggravated. Yuuri had been told all his life he would one day see the dragons, too, and that he would need to be ready, and Yuuri had been determined to be more ready than anyone had ever expected him to be.

The _suzaku_ had been the very first dragon that Yuuri ever saw with his own two eyes, and it will always be the most beautiful creature in the world to him. He had always been fascinated by the colors on her scales he had seen in pictures, but no picture in the world could have prepared him to the shine and beauty in all of it being showered in the morning light, almost too bright to look at. The air had been warm but Yuuri had still been able to see the soft mixture of smoke and mist floating out of the dragon’s nostrils with every huff of breath.

Yuuri had been terrified. Excited, and brave beyond his years, but terrified. He had never seen a dragon before, and this one was bigger than he had imagined, appearing even more so as Yuuri was small for his age. _Tousan_ had kept holding his hand, pulling him forward when he had tried to hide behind a tree, guiding him into a stop only a handful of feet away from the dragon’s head.

Then _tousan_ had bowed his head, keeping his movements slow but not showing weakness, never submitting. You have to show a dragon your respect and your strength, not your willingness to abandon your own ways to serve another creature. Yuuri had tried to mimic his father as best he could, but now when he thinks about it years later he isn’t sure he was very successful. That is why it had been a very well thought out plan for his father to choose a _suzaku_ as Yuuri’s first dragon, and this particular individual at that. _Suzaku_ are very peaceful dragons, curious and friendly by nature and only violent when protecting their offspring.

 _Tousan_ had held eye contact with the dragon for what had felt like hours to Yuuri, and then there had been a slight nod from the creature in return. _Tousan_ had held his hand out and given the _suzaku_ ’s neck a gentle caress, a little like he usually gave Yuuri’s hair during bed time, and then he had tugged Yuuri along to join him.

”Yuu-kun, this is Sayua. Come over and say hello.”

Yuuri remembers how his hand had trembled when he had tried to hold it out for Sayua. He had watched himself approach her like it hadn’t been him at all but some other little boy who had simply looked a lot like him, and Sayua had leaned in closer, too, just as curious as Yuuri. He breath had been almost too hot against Yuuri’s skin, tickling where she had sniffed on his hand and arm, and Yuuri had stayed still like a statue, waiting for her verdict.

As is natural for _suzaku_ , Sayua had given Yuuri her trust easily. She had moved closer and leaned her neck against Yuuri’s touch, making him jump a little from the sudden contact.

”Hello, Sayua”, Yuuri had whispered to her, such a mix of nerves and excitement and wonder that he couldn’t have made his voice any louder if he had wanted to. ”I’m Yuuri. Katsuki Yuuri. My friends call me Yuu-kun.” The dragon had let out a small huff of breath, almost like an answer, urging Yuuri to go on. ”Will you be my friend?”

Dragons are intelligent creatures – in some respects, way more intelligent than humans. There is ongoing debate on how well different species understand human languages, but no actual evidence either way.

Yuuri, however, was sure from the very first time he locked eyes with Sayua that they understood each other. There might not be any special bond with them, and since then Yuuri has pretty much determined that it isn’t so, that Sayua is just a very curious and trusting individual. But at six years old, while meeting his very first dragon, the amount of trust that the _suzaku_ had given him had made him feel weak on the knees, and he had been grateful to his father for holding his hand and not letting him fall.

The scales had felt hard and sharp edged under Yuuri’s hand, but at the same time he had been able to feel the warmth underneath, the movement of muscles stronger than on any other creature known to man. Yuuri had pressed his small palm on the dragon’s neck and felt her lean more into the touch just like she had into his _tousan_ ’s just moments before, and Yuuri had felt so connected that it had made his entire body tremble. In that moment he had loved the dragon more than he had thought he would ever love anything in his life.

 _Tousan_ had given Yuuri some dried peaches to feed Sayua. The first time having his hand so close to the dragon’s sharp teeth was terrifying, and Yuuri had hidden behind his father again as soon as he could, but Sayua had not given up on him so easily – or maybe she had just wanted more fruit. In either case, she had come closer still until she poked her muzzle against _tousan_ ’s arm, pushing it away to lock eyes with Yuuri again. And with a new found courage, Yuuri had reached to his father’s pocket again and tried again, this time holding his hand out until every last piece of dried peach was gone and he felt a small, hot huff of breath against his skin. It had burned his hand almost as much as the disappointment on Sayua’s face had burned his heart when she turned away and went to look for more food elsewhere.

Yuuri had wanted to follow her – he wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to go after her, to see where she found food and shelter, how she would spend her day. But _tousan_ had put his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder, suddenly very heavy and important, and Yuuri had turned to look at him. _Tousan_ had been kind, like he always was, but there had been a severe tone to his voice when he spoke.

”You are a Katsuki, Yuuri. Caring for dragons is your birth right, but also your greatest responsibility. You are the force standing between these creatures and the people who want them harm, and they are going to trust you to do the right thing to protect them. Do you understand me?”

Even now, almost twenty years later, those words sit on Yuuri’s shoulder as heavy as his father’s hand had been. They have only become heavier through the years, as Yuuri has learned more, understood more, seen more. The words ring in Yuuri’s ears every day, reminding him of his purpose and calling.

The only person Yuuri has ever told about this experience in such lengths, the only person who could _possibly_ understand, is Viktor. Viktor with the dreamy eyes and the heavy heart. Viktor, the first person Yuuri got close to outside of the EADS, his first love, his best friend. Viktor, who by now knows _at least_ as much about dragons as Yuuri does, who is always eager to learn and see more, who has so much love in his heart that it’s hard to protect sometimes.

There have been late nights and early morning hours when they have whispered these things to each other, all of their most cherished secrets and memories, trusting the other to cherish them in return. By now, Yuuri has told Viktor everything he can remember about that first encounter with a dragon, and about the words his father said, and the weight those words have been on his shoulders ever since.

In return, Viktor has told Yuuri his everything, too. His first dragon, the first encounter that really went wrong and all of Viktor’s hair burned off, the moment Viktor had realized humankind wasn’t doing enough for these beautiful, remarkable creatures that history shows have saved people from going extinct in more than one occasion. Yuuri has held Viktor through pain over a death that couldn’t be prevented, the loss of a bidding war that meant an old dragon, an old friend would be transferred into a less suitable sanctuary, the sound of a hurting dragon’s screech when she sees an unhatched egg has been destroyed. Viktor knows what it is like to be a part of the Katsuki clan better than anyone else Yuuri knows, perhaps even better than Yuuri’s own parents ever did, even though Viktor isn’t a Katsuki by blood.

But blood isn’t everything, and there’s no question about it: Yuuri really couldn’t have asked for anyone better to share this life with. And to think it all started with Yuuri simply having to entertain some boring delegate’s son for an evening.

* * *

**Date** : March 25th 2004

 **From** : katsuki.yuuri@eads.com

 **To** : vitya_nikiforov@hotmail.com

 **Subject** : Re: Did you forget about me?

Hello Viktor.

It was nice to hear from you. I am sorry, I did not mean to not write to you, but I did not know what to say. My life is not very interesting, and I’m afraid I don’t write English as well as I speak.

I am happy you like Sayua. Her name comes from the language Malay and it means ”dear”. At least that is what Google say, it can be wrong. Mari says it is correct. Sayua is well, _tousan_ think the eggs hatch before Christmas.

Chris sound nice. I asked _tousan_ , he says Giacomettis will visit us this summer. We will be back in Japan then, so no Sayua, but I am looking forward to meeting him.

I attached some pictures of Sayua for you. I hope you like.

Katsuki Yuuri

*

 **Date** : March 27th 2004

 **From** : vitya_nikiforov@hotmail.com

 **To** : katsuki.yuuri@eads.com

 **Subject** : Re: Re: Did you forget about me?

YUUUUUURI!!!11

I knew you didn’t forget, I wasn’t serious about that! But I’m still so happy to read from you, I almost thought I made you up, that you were just a nice dream. But I guess I don’t have that good of an imagination.

You live in a dragon sanctuary, you’re part of a centuries old _dragonaria_ , and you say that it’s not interesting?? I don’t believe you! I want to know EVERYTHING!! Do you get to see the dragons a lot? You can probably imagine that I don’t see them very often, just the two _zmej_ they have protecting the Botanic Garden here, but you’re not allowed to get to close to them. I don’t even know if they have proper names. I’ve always thought it’s sad, so when I was little I named them Little and Tomas. Chris thinks it’s hilarious. But Little IS little, no bigger than my head, really! She’s really cute, even from afar!!

Are you still in Taiwan or have you gone somewhere else before Japan? You were born in Japan, right? I’ve never been, but I’ve seen a lot of pictures and I think I would really like it! _Maman_ thinks we could have another holiday soon, and I’m determined to have Japan on her list of possible destinations! Do you have any specific suggestions where we should go? What’s your home town like?

Chris wrote to me and told me about their trip to Japan. I’m so jealous!! He promises to take a lot of pictures for me, but I know it’s not going to be the same. Does it make me a bad person if I’m kind of glad he doesn’t get to see Sayua? I kind of like the idea that she’s something you and I can share, not quite a secret but still. Does that even make any sense? I know she’s a dragon, and that plenty of people know of her, but she’s still special to me in a way I don’t want to share with Chris.

I lovet he pictures you sent me of Sayua!!! I already put one as my desktop wallpaper!!! Feel free to send me more, and of other dragons too!! I want to meet them all!! <3

Anyway, I’m not going to write any longer, just so that I have more to tell you next time! I really hope to hear from you soon!!1

Yours,

Viktor

PS. Don’t worry about your English, it’s all good. And we can think of this as extra training, right?

*

 **Date:** June 11th 2004

 **From** : katsuki.yuuri@eads.com

 **To** : vitya_nikiforov@hotmail.com

 **Subject** : Re: Genbu vs. zomok

Hi Viktor.

That new picture you sent of the _zmey_ is very good. It look like you get so much closer to them now? Please do not get in any trouble. I am sure Little and Tomas are well, even if Little is a little small even for a _zmej_. And a Botanic Garden sounds like just the right place for them to live. They are fine.

I also like the other picture you sent, the one with Chris. I did not know he was visiting you. You are good friends? I am very excited to meet Chris in July. We are back home now. In some way all of our houses are ”home”, yes, but I was born in Hasetsu, and we spend a lot of time here. When we are in Hasetsu, I go to school, in other places I work with a tutor. It is a little complicated. Because we move around so much, I don’t have a lot of friends in school. This is okay, because I hang out a lot with Yuuko. She lives in sanctuary too, her father is ice dragon expert. Yuuko is two years older than me, but we have been friends since I was very small.

To answer your question: it is very hard to say if _genbu_ will win or _zomok_. They are very different. I do not even understand how a water lizard will end up in fight with avian, they do not even live in same areas. But since you ask, I will say _zomok_ wins, because it can get away easier. Is it still winning if the fight end in flight?

I hope you are well.

Yuuri

*

 **Date** : September 26th 2004

 **From** : vitya_nikiforov@hotmail.com

 **To** : katsuki.yuuri@eads.com

 **Subject** : Re: Re: IT’S ALMOST OCTOBER

I CAN’T BELIEVE WE’LL SEE AGAIN SOON!!!11

 _Maman_ made a very nice travel plan for us, I have attached an English version for you so that you can know exactly when we will be arriving! It’s still a little hard to believe that my parents agreed to go to Japan for THREE ENTIRE WEEKS!!!

It’s a shame that we’re not going to see Sayua this time, but from what I’ve read, she would be very aggressive this close to the hatching, right? So it’s probably for the best. Will you be going back to Taiwan once the babies arrive? It’s such an incredible thing to witness, I’m a little jealous.

I just want to say that I know I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but I really am excited to see you again. And not just because you have access to all these incredible dragons (although that is super cool and one of the most amazing things EVER), but also because I think you’re really nice. I have said this before, I think, but I don’t really have that many friends. I think that’s because I spend so much of my time reading about dragons, or just reading in general, and when I talk to people I usually sound too nerdy and stuff. I like that you like dragons as much as I do. It makes it easier for me to be myself when I write to you, you know? I hope that this makes sense.

I agree that the current laws on international and local dragon trade are laughable and bad. I’m going to be 18 soon, and that means I’ll be legally an adult, and the first thing I will do on my birthday is sign all the petitions I can find on changing the laws to include environmental issues and health care. Can you believe it’s the 21st century and dragons are still traded all around the world without good enough medical documents on their physical and mental health??? It makes me sad, and also angry. _Papa_ says I’m overreacting but I don’t think I am. Do you?

Because we’ll be seeing each other in fifteen days (!!!!!!!!11!!) I’m going to end this e-mail here, so that I still have things to talk to you about when I arrive. (I’m keeping a list in my journal. It’s long.) I hope that you’re well and that you get to pet a nice dragon today!

With hugs,

Vitya

* * *

One of the three _suzaku_ eggs doesn’t hatch. No one tells Yuuri this at first, but he hears his parents talking about it with two of the specialists one day while loitering around their study. Yuuri’s heart breaks at the news, and he bursts into the room crying, begging his father to tell him it’s not true.

 _Kaasan_ holds Yuuri while he cries, and when he’s done she explains, in that very calm and patient nature of hers, that this, too, is a part of being the Guardian of the sanctuary. Yuuri has to steel himself against the loss, for one day he will have to be the one to do the paper work, but he should never lose his heart. Yuuri doesn’t understand how he’s supposed to feel the pain of the dragons but also do the cold side of the work, arrange for delivery of the unhatched egg to one of the research centers, make the needed statements for the media and the logs, plan for the mourning dragon’s rehabilitation. It all sounds like a lot, and Yuuri is only one person; how is he ever supposed to manage _that_?

That night is the first time Yuuri calls Viktor. He doesn’t know why he feels like Viktor should hear it from him first and not the news, but later he thinks he made the right choice. He hates to hear the sniffling sound at the end of the line, but on the other hand it feels nice to know that someone else is feeling things as deeply as he is; that he’s not overreacting like he usually is.

(Another pro about the call: Yuuri is sure that under different circumstances he would never have been brave enough to dial Viktor’s number, even though he has had it for weeks. There’s a difference in writing out your thoughts in an e-mail, when you can erase them a dozen times over before hitting send. Making a phone call has way more chances for Yuuri to mess things up.

Thankfully he doesn’t. Not this time, anyway.)

”My heart feels like it’s ripping apart”, Yuuri says lowly after a good while of silence. It’s the middle of the night, now, that time of night that feels like a whole different dimension, and when Yuuri closes his eyes he can almost imagine himself somewhere else. Where, he’s not sure. ”I hate to think that this is only the first time I need to deal with something like this.” Yuuri bites his lip and listens to the silence on the other end of the phone, then whispers, ”I don’t think I can do this, Viktor.”

Yuuri has never admitted that to anyone before. He’s not even sure he has allowed himself to think about it, not truly; growing up and taking over EADS is something he has never really given a chance to question. It’s not that he is being forced into it, no, Yuuri loves dragons, and it would be his dream job even if he wasn’t born into a _dragonaria_. But something inside him tells him that he might not be cut out for it.

What the Katsukis do, what _Yuuri_ is expected to do once he takes over, is a lot. It’s more than just travelling around the sanctuary to see the dragons and hosting dinners for different delegates every other week. It’s more than paper work and charity galas and auctions and breeding charts.

Being a part of the Katsuki _dragonaria_ is a following traditions that go back centuries. It’s a birth right, a destiny, a responsibility, a gift, a _job_. Their dragonaria is one of the Three Old Ones, and that makes them an example, the one to look for guidance, and also the one under scrutiny. Yuuri will not be allowed to make a single error, take one misstep. It’s a lot to ask from one family – a lot to ask from a person.

”Yuuri”, Viktor’s voice cuts through Yuuri’s thoughts, calmer and more clear than it was when Yuuri broke the news about the _suzaku_. Yuuri opens his eyes and looks out the window into the night sky, wondering if Viktor is looking out, too. Somehow he has a feeling that he is. ”You’re not doing it alone. I’ve got your back. Always.”

When Yuuri hears this, he almost starts crying again. He doubts Viktor will always be there, no one ever is, but it is still a nice thing to hear.

(Years later, Yuuri will hear these fords from Viktor again, and he will think how glad he is to be proven wrong.)


End file.
